Angel Feathers
by starah
Summary: Between Laboon and Whiskey Peak, the crew go to another island... the Island of Angels. But it's not an entirely angelic place. [TXZ, SXN]
1. The Island of Angels

Fanworks - fanfics - The Island of Angels   
  
  
  


The Island of Angels: Chapter One  
  
  


  
  
  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
Nami glanced at the rubber-human, who was lying down flat-out next to Zoro and Usopp.  
  
After another frantic weather-changing mania, save for the napping Zoro, the crew was exhausted. Nami hadn't been pulling any ropes, however, and thus still had enough energy to draw out the rough outlines of some of the Grand Line's mappings. She was seated comfortably into a lawn-chair, the others were sprawled on the wooden planks of the deck.   
  
"Stand the pain for a while."  
Nami muttered, turning back to her compass and quill.   
  
"...I want to eat meat."  
  
"Shut up, will you?"  
Zoro growled, finally haven had woken up, whapping the back of his wrist onto Luffy's nose.   
  
"Too... hungry... to--, to retaliate..."  
Luffy said with difficulty, turning to use Usopp's stomach as a pillow.  
  
"Please!!"  
Usopp exclaimed as Luffy's head landed on him heavily. Nami glanced at the lockpost, ensuring that their course was correct, and after dipping her quill in ink, she pressed the nib down onto the parchment once more.  
  
"Get off me, Luffy!!"  
  
"Meeeeaaaaatttt....."  
  
"You're not the only one hungry, Luffy."  
Zoro muttered, laying his head onto his hands as he gazed up into the greying skies.  
  
"Yeah, I'm hungry too,"  
Usopp added, using a hand to try to push Luffy off him,  
"so try to bear the hunger while Sanji-- _are you gnawing my sash?_"  
  
"Eh?"  
Luffy asked, the white cloth between his teeth.   
  
"AARRRGGGHHH!! Luffy, this sash is _not_ food!!"  
  
Nami was drawing a circle around a particular co-ordinate when the point snapped and the lead-holder broke, causing Nami to sigh as she turned to Usopp, calling out,  
  
"Usopp! The compass broke."  
  
"I'll--fix--it--for--you--later,"  
Said Usopp as he struggled to pull the cloth out of Luffy's mouth. Luffy, half-concious thanks to his hunger, was stubbornly chewing the sash, and soon he and Usopp were tumbling around the deck.  
  
"Naa-miii--saaaan!"  
  
The love-cook burst out of the cabin door with a grin as he balanced a silver platter in one hand, and several glasses of orange juice on his head.  
  
"Sanji!!"  
Luffy tried to cry, but his mouth was so filled with fabric all he could do was give a muffled mumble as Usopp tugged ferociously at his sash. The white cloth was now so lodged inbetween Luffy's jaw, however, that the pre-occupied Usopp threatened to pull out his jaw with the sash.  
  
"Why, thank you, Sanji."  
Nami said sweetly as he handed her the platter, which held a steaming plate of sliced beef, along with a glass of orange juice.  
  
"MEEAAATTT!!!"  
Luffy cried, finally free of the cloth, tears of happiness blurring his vision as he happily reached for the plate-- only to be intercepted by Usopp, who pounded his head onto the deck.  
  
"Look at what you did to my sash!!"  
Usopp cried, holding up the chewed up piece of white cloth. Luffy ignored him as he jerked his head up again, led by the delicious aroma of the beef, his eyes shining as his hand eagerly began to stretch towards the meat-- and this time, he was kicked back by a familiar black, polished shoe.  
  
"That's for Nami-san."  
Sanji said firmly,  
"It's the last of our food-stock, and it's always ladies first."  
  
"Meat!!"  
Luffy cried, rushing forward, but Sanji's foot planted itself into his jaw and he was sent flying into Usopp, slamming them both onto the side of the ship.  
  
"Leave Nami-san alone!"  
Sanji yelled, and Luffy stood up, leaving Usopp twirly-eyed and winded behind him.  
  
"No! I'm hungry!"  
  
"Just wait until the next island--"  
Sanji began, but he was soon busy holding Luffy back as Nami chewed the food, busily sketching a few more lines into her map.  
  
"Hey, is that food?"  
Zoro asked with interest, scooting into a lawn-chair next to Nami. She nodded, handing him her fork.  
  
"You can have some if you like."  
She replied lightly, working out a calculation in her head as to where the third of the chain of islands near Little Garden was.  
  
"Hey, thanks,"  
Zoro said as he took a slice of beef into his mouth.  
  
"Hey!!! Zoro's taking some!!"  
Luffy cried indignantly, pointing at the swordsman munching on the meat he wanted so much.  
  
"What?!"  
Sanji cried, spinning around. Luffy took advantage of the moment of Sanji's diverted attention by running forward, but Sanji grabbed him round the legs, growling,  
"Oh, no you don't!"  
  
"Mm, this tastes good,"  
Zoro commented on the fifth forkful as Nami sipped her orange juice with a nod.  
  
"Hey, can I have some too?"  
Asked the recovered Usopp, who had somehow made it past Sanji without him noticing, and was now behind Zoro's chair with a hopeful look at the beef.  
  
"Yeah, here,"  
Zoro agreed, passing him the fork, and drank out of his glass of orange juice as Usopp ate several mouthfuls of the meat.  
  
"Nooooooo------!!!!!"  
Luffy wailed, watching his so-called 'pals' eat up his beloved meat without even a glance at him.  
  
"Just--wait--'till--the next---island--!!"  
Sanji said with difficulty, now sitting on Luffy's back to restrain the rubber-boy as Nami took up the fork again.   
  
"Meat..."  
Luffy said defeatedly, tears streaming down his cheeks as Nami speared the last, luscious slice of beef onto the fork. Then, Nami stood up, the fork in her hand, and as Usopp and Zoro drained their glasses of juice, Nami walked towards Luffy slowly... with the meat...!  
  
"Nami!"  
Luffy cried out gratefully, tears of pure joy springing to his eyes at the nearing sight of meat-- when Nami bent over and pushed the meat into Sanji's mouth.  
  
Blinking in surprise, Sanji obediently chewed and swallowed, Luffy's eyes wide and his jaw dropped in horror.  
  
"Thank you,"  
Nami said with a smile. Sanji nodded slowly, his eyes still wide in surprise, a faint dusting of pink at a cheek, when he quickly switched himself back to lady's-man-mode.  
  
"Of course, anything for Nami-san."  
He said with a wide grin. Luffy's forehead hit the deck with a loud 'thunk', tears spilling onto the wooden planks.  
  
"You're all mean!!"  
Luffy cried into the floor as visions of sliced-beef danced around his head.  
  
"I don't know... who ate up the _whole_ of yesterday's dinner?"  
Sanji asked, glaring at Luffy.   
"Uhm... we all did?"  
  
Luffy suggested in a small voice.  
  
"Yes... each of us a bite each, and you, Luffy, ate all _eleven dishes_!!"  
  
Luffy seemed to be thinking hard on his reply.  
  
"I was hungry." He finally explained. The rest of the crew sighed, when Zoro asked,  
  
"Hey, is that the next island?"  
  
Everyone scrambled over to take a closer look at the darkening rocky outlines of the island as Nami checked the lock-post.  
  
"Yep, that's the one."  
  
Luffy, who had looked completely drained before, was now wide-eyed and ecstatic.  
  
"Wow!! Maybe they'll have meat!!"  
He cried, his eyes shining brightly.  
  
"Yeah, hopefully. They need a good convenience store, too. I need more tabasco and gunpowder,"  
Usopp gave a couple of tugs on the elastic sling of his slingshot as Zoro stood up, collecting his swords with a hand.  
  
"I need to buy a couple more weights."  
Zoro said, flexing an arm.  
  
"We can restock on all the food supplies."  
Sanji mused enthusiastically, slinging a tie around his neck.  
  
"I could use a few more bottles of ink... and Usopp, you still need to fix my compass,"  
Nami added as she left the compass out on the lawn-chair.  
  
"I will,"  
Usopp replied as Luffy stood up, dusting his pant legs before leaping excitedly onto the head of the Going Merry Ho.  
  
"Let's dock!"  
He cried, and his crew members let out an enthusiastic cheer in response as they ran to the sails, the ropes and the anchor.  
  
Nami shoved Luffy off the lamb-head and towards the sails, and took a look through her binoculars at the upcoming island.  
  
"...Huh?"  
  
She adjusted the sharpness of the focus, and stared hard through the lenses. Then she let out a groan.  
  
"Guys..."  
  
"What?"  
Zoro asked, throwing the anchor overboard with a swift movement.  
  
"We've got company."  
Nami replied grimly.  
  
  



	2. Enter the Marines

Fanworks - fanfics - The Island of Angels   
  
  
  


The Island of Angels: Chapter Two  
  
  


Zoro walked over and took the binoculars from Nami's hands, and lifted the lenses to his eyes. The ship Nami had been looking at was a whitish blur; Zoro twiddled a small knob at the side of the binoculars, and all at once, the bright-blue logo of the Main Marine Headquarters came into sharp focus.  
  
"Uh oh."  
  
He lowered the binoculars with a strained look, and handed it back to Nami before turning to the rest of the crew.  
  
"Guys, it looks as though we're going to need cloaks."  
  
"Cloaks?"  
Usopp asked curiously. Zoro jabbed a thumb towards the marines, saying,  
"Yeah, cloaks. You know, the ones with hoods on 'em."  
  
Sanji squinted at the ship as Usopp adjusted the lenses on his goggles before letting out a yelp.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
Luffy asked as Usopp dropped to the deck on his knees, crawling towards the lower deck.  
  
"Marines!!"  
Usopp hissed, as though the Marines could hear him.  
  
"Usopp, I don't think they saw us - and even if they did, our sails are down, so they probably can't tell that we're pirates."  
  
Zoro drawled as he grabbed the cloak Nami tossed at him.  
  
"Yes, but that's exactly what the Jolly Roger is for!!"  
  
Nami snapped as she pulled a hood over herself.  
  
"I forgot about that."  
  
Zoro admitted as Sanji swooned,  
  
"Wow, Nami-san looks so wonderful even when she's half-covered in cloth!"  
  
Sanji stretched his arms out to emphasise his point just as Nami turned to look at him, causing his fingers to accidentally brush lightly against her cheek. Their eyes met for a fleeting second, where they both blinked in surprise at the unexpected touch, and then quickly looked away.  
  
"Brrr... it's cold..."  
Usopp's teeth chattered as he pulled a hood over his head,  
"I guess it's a good thing we've got cloaks on."  
  
Luffy swished his cloak over himself, dramatically draping it onto his shoulders as he grinned widely.  
  
"Let's go eat meat!!"  
He cried, jumping excitedly off the head of the Going Merry Ho and leaving his crew looking at him in half amusement and exasperation.  
  
"Uhm..."  
  
Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine popped their heads around the main cabin's door hopefully.  
  
"Are we at Whiskey Peak yet?"  
Miss Wednesday asked, peering at the darkening shores of the island doubtfully. Zoro shook his head.  
  
"No. You two watch the ship -- there are marines here."  
  
"M-m-marines?!!"  
  
The mysterious pair gasped, looking wildly around.   
  
"Yeah."  
Usopp said, feeling much safer beneath his cloak,  
  
"If they come, tell them the truth; that you're not pirates."  
  
"But what if they ask about th-that _flag_?"  
  
Mr. Nine hissed, his chin on the floor.  
  
"That's when you lie,"  
Usopp said lightly over his shoulder, heading towards the footprints Luffy had left in the sand,  
"just say that you're both bounty hunters and you're waiting for us to get our bounty."  
  
The reaction to these words were immediate. Both Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine shrieked out loud in voices of terror and ran around in frantic circles on the deck for a whole minute, oblivious of the completely nonplussed expressions the rest of the crew were giving them.  
  
Then something seemed to click in both of their minds and they returned to their normal state, both nodding vigorously and exchanging relieved glances.  
  
"We'll be looking after the ship, then."  
  
Zoro raised an eyebrow and a corner of his mouth lifted into a knowing smile, as though something he'd been thinking about had just occurred to him. He didn't comment on it, however, and walked on.  
  
Nami gave the two a sweet smile before saying,  
  
  
"If you're thinking of running away by any chance, I've got the lockpost, so don't even bother considering it... _or else._"  
  
Her eyes darkened for a split second before she joined Usopp's and Zoro's retreating backs as Sanji sang,  
  
"Bye bye, Miss Wednesday~!"  
  
before jumping over the side of the ship and waving enthusiastically.  
  
Miss Wednesday waved back with a sweatdrop, and looked at Mr. Nine.  
  
"That navigator is scary."  
  
She said, shuddering.  
  
"That,"  
  
Mr. Nine said with an equal shiver,  
  
"would be an understatement."  
  
  
  
  
Smoker chewed the end of his cigar impatiently.  
After a few seconds, however, he'd obviously reached the end of his tether.  
  
"TASHIGI!!!!!!!"  
  
The black-hair swordswoman burst out of the cabin, fumbling around with her glasses and looking startled.  
  
"Y-ye-yes, sir! What is it?"  
  
"It'll take two days for the lockpost to memorise this island,"  
  
Smoker snapped,  
  
"so I was going to ask if you need anything."  
  
_And I called you about ten times,_ he thought irritatedly.  
  
"Uhm,"  
  
Tashigi tapped a finger to her temple in thought.  
  
"Uhmmm..."  
  
"Hurry up,"  
Smoker muttered. Then something occurred to Tashigi.  
  
"What island is this?"  
She asked. Smoker whacked her on back of her head.  
  
"You moron! How can you not know where we are?!"  
He yelled as Tashigi looked apologetically sheepish, rubbing the spot she'd been hit.  
  
"Uhm, I was cleaning one of my swords."  
  
She held up the sword in her hand, the sheath shining with crimson-polish and the handle tightly wrapped in cream and red bands in criss-crosses. Tashigi smiled at the beautiful sword in her hands, one of the lightest and prettiest she had had in quite a while. She'd taken it off the hands of an unworthy and unskilled merchant, and had searched her sword book to find that it was the tenth and last sword from the Petal series - the Red Petal.  
  
She ran a thumb across the red-coated laquer in admiration.  
  
"Will you please _stop_ staring at your sword in wonder and love and listen to me?!!"  
Smoker yelled. Tashigi hurriedly put the sword away from Smoker's sight (behind her back) and nodded.  
  
"Sorry, sir."  
  
"We're on the Island of Angels."  
  
Tashigi stared the dark and almost threatening outlines of the Island of Angels.  
  
The sand on the shore was a ghostly white that contrasted against the swirls of dark grey in the skies, and beyond that lay a purple and green tangle of leafy growth. Behind the forest there was a faint, brown outline of towering mountains and roofs of houses that was shrouded in white fog.  
  
"Uhm... I don't know anyone here... actually, I don't think I've heard of this island."  
Tashigi admitted.  
  
"Neither have I,"  
Smoker said, looking at the Island of Angels with the same expression as Tashigi's,  
  
"but there's a signpost over there."  
  
"Aa,"  
Tashigi replied with a sweatdrop at the signpost plainly stating the island's title and post-locking period at the front of the shore.  
  
"Well, I don't think there're any swords here, sir, so we can probably just leave--"  
  
A marine interrupted with,  
  
"Sir, sir!!"  
  
before skidding infront of his general and leader.  
  
"What is it?"  
Smoker asked.  
  
"It's-- it's the straw-hat pirate crew!! They're here, on this island!!"  
  
_ "WHAT?!!"_  
Tashigi and Smoker yelled in unison, bowling the marine over.  
  
"Their Jolly Roger is right there, along with their ship!"  
  
The marine pointed at a ship to their right, quite in the distance but still visible. Smoker's eyes narrowed, his teeth gnashing against the cigars in his mouth.  
  
"I'll get them this time,"  
He growled.  
  
Tashigi tapped her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose, her hand gripping the handle of the Red Petal tightly. A certain green-haired swordsman was in her mind.  
  
"Roronoah Zoro,"  
She said through clenched teeth, her eyes setting on determination,  
  
"We have a duel to settle."  
  
Her eyes scanned the white shores for a moment, as though she expected to see him there, when she saw figures further off, close to the outline of the pirate ship, and when she squinted, she was sure they were all wearing something like capes; they were undefinable.   
  
"Smoker-san,"  
She said, her eyes following the figures' movements,  
"I think I can see them."  
  
"Where?!"  
Smoker asked in slight surprise.  
  
"Over there. They're wearing something; can't tell who's who."  
  
Smoker saw them, and nodded.   
  
"Let's go."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Tashigi pulled on the jacket that was offered to her, slipping the Red Petal through a loop. She was in an adrenaline rush, and it didn't occur to her that she'd never used the Red Petal before, and she usually never used the swords she collected.  
  
The rest of the marines looked confused.  
  
"What about us?"  
  
"Ten of you,"  
  
Smoker gestured towards a random group of marines,  
  
"come with me. The rest of you stay here."  
  
  
  
  
"There are people on the island, your highness."  
  
Heavily hooded eyes darted towards the servant.  
  
"Who? How many? What are they? Give me information, you imbicile!!"  
He barked, a glass of liquor smashing just by the servant's foot.  
  
"A fleet from the main marine headquarters and a pirate-crew holding a captain worth 30,000,000 beli."  
  
The hooded eyes widened, and his cracked lips stretched into a thin-lipped smile.  
  
"That will be fun,"  
he mused,  
  
"that will be lots of fun. Capture them all and bring them in... we'll charge them plenty before we let them go."  
  
The servant remained standing, and the king frowned.  
  
"What are you doing? Go and bring the captain in."  
  
"Wh-what?"  
The servant stammered, and suddenly jerked up high into the air before crashing onto the floor.  
  
"A-as you w-wish, your h-highness."  
  
As the servant shuffled away, the king smiled and settled into his throne.  
  
  
  
  



	3. Banana Split

Fanworks - fanfics - The Island of Angels   
  
  
  


The Island of Angels: Chapter Three  
  
  


Nami was seriously not amused when several marine-uniform clad goons appeared on the shores, heading in their direction.  
  
"Guys? Look behind us?"  
  
Everyone turned and saw the white starch and blue ties and a faint smoke rising behind them.  
  
"What do we do? What do we do??"  
Usopp yelped as he ran around in aimless circles.  
  
"Stop running you moron and we'll think about it,"  
Sanji muttered, grabbing the back of his cloak.  
  
"Where's Luffy?"  
Zoro asked, looking around. Everyone realised the absence of their captain, and stared at the hole Luffy had made while entering the forest.   
  
"That's just swell,"  
Nami muttered,   
"And now we're being gained on. What _do_ we do?"  
  
"That's easy,"  
Zoro replied.  
  
"I'll protect you Nami-san, no matter what~!"  
Sanji chattered, and Usopp pulled out from his purse a smoke pellet. Zoro finished,  
  
"We run."  
  
"Get ready,"  
Usopp said as the marines finally formed a semi-circle around them; them being between the shore and the forest.  
  
"You're under arrest!"  
Yelled one marine. The crew tucked their hoods well over their heads, and Usopp yelled,  
  
"NOW!!"  
  
Before he shot the pellet into the ground. It exploded to unfurl a mass of thick, white smoke, and the crew stampeded quickly into forest.   
  
The marines began to cough, but Smoker yelled,  
"You idiots, the forest is _right in front of you!!_"  
  
The marines took heed and crashed through the smoke and into various trees.  
  
"The morons...!!"  
  
Smoker groaned in annoyance. He grabbed a couple of marines and tossed them in the general direction of the entrance he'd seen to the forest.  
"Tashigi, take care of the rest of these marines. I'm going to go look for Monkey D. Luffy."  
He ran through the smoke and into the forest easily. He didn't think about the fact that Tashigi hadn't replied because she simply wasn't there.  
  
  
  
  
Flash of gold by the ear, glimpse of green at the fringe, something that looked like three swords sticking through the cloak.  
  
"Roronoah Zoro, _stop_ where you are this instant!!"  
  
He spun to see Tashigi running after him.  
  
"Yarrrgghhh!! Get off my case!!"  
He yelled, and turned off course and into a new path of purple undergrowth.  
  
"Stop running!!"  
Tashigi yelled back, and she ran into the undergrowth after him.  
  
"Zoro!!"  
Nami shouted, but sudden sight of white behind made her run again. Sanji and Usopp took step next to her just as a whole load of marines appeared behind them.  
  
"Not good not good not good....!!"  
Nami chanted unhappily as they continued to run over what wasn't even a path.  
  
She heard guns load behind and she ran even faster.  
  
"_Not_ good _not_ good _not_ good....!!"  
  
Then a crack of a gun sounded, and a bullet embedded itself just by Usopp's shoe.  
  
"Look, we have to split!"  
Usopp yelled.  
  
"I'm _not_ leaving Nami-san alone!!"  
Sanji said defiantly.  
  
"No one asked you to,"  
Usopp retorted, and they reached a thick hedge of leaves, vines and trees tangled into a dead-end.  
  
"_Not good!!!_"  
Nami cried, and the gun shots sounded even closer.  
  
"Surrender now!!"  
The voices of the marines mingled with Usopp's hurried thoughts. He quickly made a decision, and grabbed both Sanji and Nami by the shoulders.  
  
"Naa?"  
  
"Ne?"  
  
"We'll meet again later!!"  
Usopp shouted, and he pulled them towards him in face of the marines.  
  
"Argh, you twerp -- are you making us take the bullets?!!"  
Sanji cried as the marines started to close in on them.  
  
"Nope,"  
Usopp replied, and quite suddenly, he threw them both with surprising strength into one side of the undergrowth. A bullet skimmed his arm as he did so, and amidst the surprised cries Sanji and Nami made, he turned to the marines, and ran at break-neck speed towards them.  
  
Startled, they let him break through before realising what had just happened.  
  
"S-stop!!"  
  
Four of them ran after Usopp and the other six gingerly stepped through the hole Sanji and Nami had made while falling through.  
  
Having had recovered faster, Sanji had picked Nami up and was now running as fast as he could through the forest.  
  
It didn't occur to Nami that the reason Sanji wasn't fighting back was because his right foot was starting to bleed profusely.  
  
  
  
  
"Roronoah Zoro!!!"  
  
Tashigi screamed in frustration as Zoro waded through a murky, green lake, holding his swords well above it,  
  
"If you continue to run, I will be forced to take desperate measures!!"  
  
"Like?"  
Zoro asked as he avoided a passing bough of rotting wood.  
  
"Don't ask!!!"  
  
Tashigi held her sword into a fighting stance, swerving it around and splitting the same bough of wood cleanly in half, the force of her cut speeding towards Zoro.   
  
Muttering, he cut the water quickly with the Yubashiri and the ripples disappated her attack.  
  
"Give up! I don't want to fight you now,"  
  
He said firmly, walking as quickly as he could through the waters.  
  
"Why? In a hurry to go somewhere?"  
  
She asked, managing to arrive at the bank just as Zoro hurried into a tangle of vegetation.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Tug, tug.  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Tashigi blinked as Zoro realised he was stuck in the green bunch of leaves, twigs and vines.  
  
"Hmmm,"  
  
Zoro mused out loud,  
  
"That was stupid."  
  
"No kidding,"  
  
Tashigi said with a sweatdrop as Zoro's arm got caught while reaching for his swords.  
  
"I _did_ think I could break through."  
He admitted as he strained to reach the Wadokiyamachi.  
  
"Any fool could see you couldn't,"  
  
Tashigi said, laughing to see Zoro in such a state.   
  
"Oh, shut up."  
He muttered, struggling around but only proceeding to get more tangled. Finally, he sighed.  
  
"I suppose you want me to duel with you now."  
  
"Not while you're in those vines,"  
Tashigi said, and held her Red Petal upwards. Tensing, she closed her eyes, and gripped the handle slightly more tightly.  
  
Zoro waited for her to slice the vines away.  
  
Then she suddenly relaxed and let the sword down. She tapped a finger to her chin in mock-thought.  
  
"But if I break the vines you might run away..., again."  
  
"I promise I won't,"  
He sighed resignedly.  
  
"Oh, I don't know,"  
Tashigi said, turning around off-handedly,  
"Don't know if I can trust a guy who won't treat me as an equal."  
  
A vein popped up on Zoro's temple.  
  
"Are you implying that one who doesn't wish to cut someone who looks just like his friend is evil?"  
  
Tashigi turned around with a glare.  
  
"No, I'm implying that one who doesn't wish to cut me just because I'm a girl is evil!"  
  
"Hey, hey! I'm not not cutting you because you're a girl!"  
Zoro protested, the vines shaking.   
  
"You're being unreasonable here, Roronoah Zoro,"  
Tashigi said annoyedly,  
"I can't help the way I look."  
  
"You could help the way you act!! Cheap imitator!!"  
Zoro snapped back.  
  
"Wh-what?!! You're being unbearably immature, Roronoah Zoro!!"  
Tashigi cried indignantly as she shoved her sword to him. Surprised, he swung back in his position, and the blade cut through a load of twigs and vines entwined around his left knee.  
  
"Hey, thanks,"  
Zoro said, and flipped the Wadokiyamachi up to his head with the knee and caught the handle with his teeth. Grinning, he unsheathed it with a jerk of his head and with a single swipe, he managed to slice through a single vine and nearly cut off his arm.  
  
"Be careful!!"  
Tashigi cried as he attempted to cut another vine dangerously.  
  
"Shut up, I'm in a bloody stupid position, okay?!"  
  
A few more jaw-locked attempts and he managed to free one arm, and thus was free of twigs and such within seconds. Before he could move, however, the point of the Red Petal was at his nose. His eyes travelled up the blade to her arm to her eyes. Her glasses were up onto her forehead.  
  
"No running, we duel, right now, just here."  
  
Tashigi looked at him, determined and mind-set. Zoro sighed.  
  
"Okay, okay. On one condition."  
  
He slowly got up, the sword pointed at his throat as he did so. He took his time, unsheathing the Kitetsu and Yubashiri with each hand and adjusting a good grip on each, his teeth re-adjusting its grip on the handle of the Wadokiyamachi.  
  
He didn't put on his bandanna, and looked squarely at the swords-woman, who asked,  
  
"What's the condition?"  
  
Zoro pulled his swords back into a fighting stance as he replied,  
  
"Put on your glasses."  
  
  
  
  
Monkey D. Luffy was lost.  
  
He had charged into the forest enthusiastically on the fantastic hope of meat, but had gotten lost mid-way; and not only had he lost his crew along the way, but he had heard gun-shots a while back. He had attempted to run towards the direction of the gun-shots but had only succeeded in getting from lost to hopelessly lost.  
  
"Ne, I know they'll be fine, but I'm still worried..."  
  
Luffy sighed as he trudged through a curtain of purple creepers. Almost immediately after he'd spoken, he heard a feminine scream sound just a short distance away.  
  
"It doesn't sound like Nami, but maybe I'll be less lost,"  
  
Luffy mused as he ran as fast as he could through the leafy mass of green and purple undergrowth.  
  
He arrived at a scene where he could see a young girl crouching at the base of a tree, her arms held above her and her eyes squeezed shut. A huge creature adorned with thick, midnight-blue fur towered above her, and was seconds away from tearing at her raised arms with its fearsome-looking claws. The bark above her head had chunks torn out of it already.  
  
The creature let out a roar, and the girl covered her eyes.  
  
"Gomu gomu no Spear!!"  
  
_THWAP_  
  
Luffy retracted his foot as the bear landed in several thorn-bushes a few meters back.  
  
The girl opened her eyes just a fraction, and then widened them in surprise to see her attacker no where to be seen, but in place, a young man wearing a straw-hat.  
  
"What the..."  
  
Luffy grinned at the girl, offering out a hand to help her up. She took it, and as she stumbled a bit to steady herself, Luffy realised that she wasn't such a small girl after all.  
  
She was only a little shorter than him, and her hair fell in light-lilac layers around her face. Her clothes were very mismatched; a beige top that only reached a few inches above her navel with only one strap over a shoulder, an arm band around the arm opposite the strap and a skirt.  
  
"Wow! That was weird. Where did the Shiller go?"  
  
She looked around curiously, her deep-violet eyes bright. Luffy pointed to the unconcious creature in the bushes as he asked,  
  
"Is that a Shiller?"  
  
"What happened to it?"  
The girl cried in surprise.  
  
"I kicked it,"  
Luffy said with a grin. The girl scratched her head confusedly before shrugging and holding out a hand with an equally wide grin.  
  
"You're very strong! I'm Violet. Thanks for saving me."  
  
He shook her hand firmly, and she let go, bouncing off towards the fallen Shiller.  
  
"I'm so amazed! You actually kicked this Shiller down. Are you hungry?"  
  
Luffy looked at the girl with a blink before suddenly laughing happily.  
  
"Yes, I'm very very hungry!!"  
  
He said eagerly, hopping over to where the girl was poking at the fallen creature. It looked like a bear with a beak and feathers.  
  
"Well, I'm hungry too!"  
  
Violet started laughing, and Luffy looked at her blankly before asking,  
  
"Have you got anything to eat?"  
  
She stopped laughing to smack herself in the forehead.  
  
"Oh yes, of course! That's right. Let's eat this Shiller,"  
  
The Shiller suddenly jumped up with a roar, bowling both Luffy and Violet over.  
  
"Naaa!! Shocking!!"  
Violet cried as she flung her arms out to shield herself.  
  
"DIE!!!"  
Luffy screamed, and knocked the Shiller's beak off with a powerful punch. Violet peeked through her fingers, then put her hands down with surprise.  
  
"Wow!"  
Violet exclaimed, crawling over to the Shiller,  
  
"If a Shiller loses its beak, it's dead! You killed it!!"  
  
"I thought we were going to eat it,"  
Luffy said, and Violet nodded.  
  
"I just didn't know you were going to kill it so quickly. Are you a hunter?"  
She asked, looking at Luffy with respect.  
  
"Nope. I'm a pirate."  
  
Violet's eyes rounded in surprise.  
  
"A pirate? I've never met a pirate before,"  
She said interestedly, pulling out a knife from her arm-band.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Monkey D. Luffy. Is there a village here?"  
Luffy asked.   
  
"Yeah. I come from it. I came out here to get fire-wood, but oh well, I'll get it later."  
  
She cut out tufts of long-grass, and Luffy idly piled twigs in front of him.  
  
"Where am I?"  
Luffy asked.  
  
"In Yolandi forest of the Island of Angels,"  
Violet replied, placing the grass over the twigs. Luffy noticed that she had not stopped smiling since he had met her.  
  
"They say it used to rain angel feathers here, but I don't believe it."  
  
"Maybe it's true,"  
Luffy said, watching Violet pull out a box of matches from her arm-band,  
"otherwise they wouldn't call it such. You have so many things in your arm-band. What else is in it?"  
  
Violet laughed, shaking her head as she lit the dry blades of grass with a flame from a match,  
  
"Nothing much."  
  
Luffy blew lightly on the tiny, red glow and it burst into bright flames, the grass curling and the wood blackening under the orange-yellow fire.  
  
"Goody,"  
Violet said with a grin,  
"now let's go get the meat."  
  
  
  
  



	4. Now Enter all the Bad Guys

The Island of Angels: Chapter Four  
  
  
  


Usopp stumbled over a tree branch, but he managed to regain his balance and swerved to the right, narrowly missing a bullet zooming past his ear.  
  
"Damn it!!"  
  
He looked angrily at the bunch of marines still at it behind him, but ended up smashing headlong into a tree branch.  
  
"Ohhhh craaaaaap!!"  
Usopp cried as the marines towered over him. His back hit the base of a tree trunk, and the marines leered at him. Squeezing his eyes shut and hoping madly, he keeled over and clutched his stomach, letting out loud moan of terrible pain.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
The marines stopped in their tracks, surrounding him, but looking politely confused at what to do at the man's lurching actions.   
  
Which was his chance, of course.  
  
Usopp grabbed something from his purse and--  
  
"USOPP'S HAMMER!!"  
  
_WHAM_ _WHAM_ _WHAM_ (etc.)  
  
Six marines collapsed onto the ground with several bumps on their heads as Usopp ran as fast as he could through the undergrowth.  
  
"Hahahaha!! That wasn't too hard, now--"  
  
Usopp started to chuckle as he gloated to himself,  
"Those marines are nothing, I tell you, nothing in the face of captain Usopp!"  
  
"Are you sure about that?"  
  
"Of course I am!"  
Usopp scoffed, still running,  
"Didn't you just see? They fell when I--"  
  
Realising he wasn't alone, he skid to a stop, and spun around, though he couldn't see anyone or anything suspicious.  
  
"Wh-what?! Who's there?!!"  
Usopp shouted, looking furtively around.  
  
"Yoo hoo, over here!!"  
He looked up and saw, quite a distance away, someone sitting on a branch. He flipped the lenses in his goggles onto an eye, and just made out the outline of a man.  
  
"That was pathetic!"  
The man called out, smirking. A nerve twitched in Usopp's temple.  
  
"Well, you're the one who's all the way over there!!"  
Usopp yelled, and the man started to laugh irritatingly.  
  
"You dodged those bullets pretty well,"  
The man called out,  
"Wanna try dodging this?"  
  
Almost immediately, Usopp yelped as a load of bullets embedded themselves heavily into the soft soil where he had been standing just seconds ago. Another marine or something?! He thought despairingly.  
  
"Damn you, what the hell are you shooting at _me_ for?!!"  
  
Flipping up a pellet from his purse, Usopp quickly pulled the elastic back from his slingshot and yelled,  
"LEAD PELLET!!"  
  
He let go befor he spun around with the slingshot still in his hand, and began to do what he was best at.  
  
Which was running away as fast as he could.  
  
The man lay with his back flat on the ground, the branch he had been on high above him, blocking his sight of the sky. He chuckled, lifting a hand to his forehead and gingerly poking at the large lump that had formed from the lead pellet.  
  
"That aim was absolutely amazing,"  
He muttered, running a hand through his bright orange hair,  
"I like it."  
  
He grinned as he sat up, the golden hoops in his earlobes glinting as his eyes traced the dust cloud that Usopp had managed to kick up while running.  
  
He sighed, his voice low as he said,  
"I want it."  
  
  
  
  
Nami noticed something was wrong when Sanji stumbled, but didn't slow down long enough to catch his breath.  
  
"Sanji-kun?"  
  
She stopped looking over his shoulder for a moment to take a look at him, and was startled to find sweat running down his face, the cigarette in his mouth sagging and his eyes strained.  
  
When he didn't reply and only kept on running, Nami knew something was very wrong.  
  
"Sanji-kun?!"  
She repeated in an irritated tone, though her throat was caught up in unease and nervousness.  
  
"Ne, Nami-san?"  
Sanji asked, giving her a forced smile as his grip on her tightened.  
  
"We've lost the marines."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Sanji stopped in his tracks, and turned around slowly. There wasn't a single trace of a marine in any way, so he let Nami down with a bit of a sigh of relief.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
He asked, and Nami nodded. Her eyes scanned him curiously; his breathing seemed laboured, and his posture seemed a little more slouched than usual. Her eyes led down to the ground, which was tangled in tree roots and dead leaves and she saw a growing stain upon the grains.  
  
"Sanji-kun!! Y-your leg!!"  
  
She knelt down quickly and raised his right pant leg, and an involuntary gasp of surprise escaped from her lips. Sanji tried to back away from her as he said hastily,  
"It doesn't hurt or anything, Nami-san, no need to worry..."  
  
Three bullets had found their way to the area around his ankle and out of the other side. Nami realised what pain Sanji must have gone through in carrying her and running with such an injury.  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
Nami asked as she forcibly helped Sanji limp towards a tree trunk. Now that the urgency was gone and no running was required, pain was shooting up Sanji's leg in uncomfortable dollops.   
  
Still grinning in a forced sort of manner, Sanji chattered,  
"It's nothing Nami-san! Just a few bullets-- "  
  
Nami pulled his shoe off and flicked the cigarette out of his mouth and into a bush nearby.  
  
"Eh? N--"  
  
A loud rip in the air interrupted the start of Sanji's protest.  
  
It was beyond Nami's expertise and it could get beyond hygienic, but if she didn't stop the bleeding at least by a little, it looked like Sanji could bleed to death. A trail of blood had followed from Nami's dragging of Sanji, so he had already lost a lot of blood.  
  
Nami tore another shred from her cloak, and looked around. There was no pond or lake nearby, but there seemed to be a stream of water quite a distance away.  
  
"Sanji-kun, this needs cleaning up. I'll go over to get some water."  
  
Sanji frowned.  
  
"Nami-san--"  
  
"Don't move."  
  
A nerve twitched in her temple and Sanji silenced himself, watching Nami hurry over to the silvery stream with a look of surprise and curiousity.  
  
As Nami jumped over a log and stumbled over a branch of thistles, she bit her lip as she wondered when on Earth they were going to get a doctor on their crew.  
  
'I'll kill Luffy if he insists on a musician first,'  
Nami thought, then wondered,  
'I wonder where that rubber moron is anyhow.'  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a snigger.  
  
"Ho, abandoning an injured companion?"  
  
Nami snapped her head up to see a man standing by the stream.  
  
He had moss-green hair falling in tousled strands held in a loose ponytail that reached his back, his body clad in a glittery-green vest and black trousers. He grinned, apple-green eyes twinkling as he winked at her.  
  
"Hey, you're kinda cute,"  
He added, smiling even more widely and in such a way it revealed all his white teeth. Flexing his muscles, he leaned over to her, lifting her chin to make her meet his gaze.  
  
"Wanna ditch him and come with me?"  
He drawled.  
  
She slapped his hand away with a bemused expression.  
  
"You're missing a tooth."  
She commented nonchalantly.  
  
_BLAM_.  
  
That whacked him where it hurt.  
  
"S-s-s-so what?!! It's just a tooth! Just because of me tripping over a log when I was eleven doesn't give anyone the right to make fun of my tooth!"  
  
He cried, flapping his arms about as Nami sweatdropped.  
  
"I wasn't making fun of your tooth."  
She said. He still flapped about, practically ripping his hair out.  
  
"Don't look at my teeth! Look at my eyes! My deep, eccentric, deep pools of green!"  
  
He opened his eyes to the widest he could, the bright green irises glinting.  
  
Nami walked towards the stream, causing the green-haired man to face-fault.  
  
"Don't ignore me!!"  
  
"I need to help Sanji-kun right now, so don't bother me. I don't even know who you are."  
  
She wrung the cloth in her hands as clear water streamed past her hands, but was startled as a sudden thrust of rock came up from the ground before her.  
  
"I said... don't ignore me."  
The man's voice growled. Nami turned slowly to see the man now seriously glaring at her, his hand stretched out towards the rock in front of Nami.  
  
"Who are you?"  
Nami asked, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"Emerine,"  
He said, his voice so soft now it was suspiciously dangerous,  
"The emperor wants to see you."  
  
Nami sighed, standing up as she dusted the back of her skirt,  
"And if I don't want to see him?"  
  
Emerine's lips twisted into a slanted smile.  
  
"Watch what you say. It might affect blondie back there, although the emperor wants to see him too."  
  
Nami eyes narrowed even further.  
  
"Sanji-kun? Did you do something to him?!"  
  
Sanji could probably win this guy without both feet, Nami thought worriedly, but still, his loss of blood must have weakened him terribly.  
  
"Nope,"  
Emerine said, looking satisfied now that he had finally caught Nami's full attention,  
"but Sherine might."  
  
  
  
  
A slash to the left, one from above, left-up diagonal, thrust forward, a cut brought upwards.  
  
There was nothing that Zoro seemed to be unable to block and push back towards Tashigi.  
  
To make it completely fair, there seemed to be nothing Tashigi couldn't block either, but Zoro hadn't been on the offensive for quite a while since they'd gone into the fight.  
  
Distracted, she missed a curve aimed to his shoulder and instead got her sword driven back towards herself. She pressed a gloved palm onto the top of her sword and her boots skid in the ground, her back skimming a tree trunk as Zoro pressured the blade of his sword heavily onto her own.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong? Losing stamina?"  
  
Zoro grinned through the glint of his blade as he continued to press, and Tashigi felt a nerve pop up on her head.  
  
"No,"  
She gritted,  
"I got distracted."  
  
She turned her sword at an angle before sliding it off Zoro's sword's edge quickly, before resuming her stance and preparing to attack again.  
  
"Distracted? Guess it's my turn, then,"  
Zoro replied, and before she could start her attack, Zoro started himself. The first cut down almost caught Tashigi off guard, but she managed to return it quickly with a back-bladed swerve, and before long, they were resumed in a flurry of attacks.  
  
"Interestingly enough, I don't think I could interrupt your fight for even just a second."  
  
Both swords stopped slashing at the same time, their owners turning to the direction of the sudden voice.  
  
"Who's there?!"  
Tashigi demanded, turning her sword away from Zoro's.  
  
"Me. Well, rather, Rayrene."  
  
A man jumped off a tree branch and onto the dirt before Zoro and Tashigi.  
  
Short-cut, white-blond hair and topaz eyes matched the pale yellow sash and shorts he wore, but what interested Zoro was the sword he held in his hand.  
  
"Rayrene?"  
Tashigi repeated cautiously. The blond man smiled.  
  
"That's right. Rayrene, the best swordsman of the Island of Angels. I'm to take you both with me to see the king of this island."  
  
"King?!"  
Tashigi exclaimed in surprise.  
  
"You've caught his attention, you see,"  
Rayrene said, then brought his sword up. The golden sheath slid off his blade as he pointed it straight at Zoro.  
  
"Not you, babe, but this man here. He's to come with me."  
  
Zoro narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
Rayrene sighed with a shrug.  
  
"I don't know, ask the king himself."  
  
Zoro shook his head.  
  
"I don't want to go somewhere without knowing why I should bother,"  
He stated,  
"and I hate listening to orders."  
  
Rayrene sighed again, flicking the blade upwards to point right at Zoro's nose.  
  
"Then you'll have to come by force, won't you?"  
He said, his face darkening.  
  
"If you can make me,"  
Zoro replied with an equally disturbing grin. Tashigi swung her petal to rest on her shoulder with a frown.  
  
"Roronoah Zoro, are you not going to fight me now or something?"  
  
Zoro blinked as he glanced back at her.  
  
_Whoops, I nearly forgot about her. Better not tell her that._  
  
"Postpone it 'till later. This guy's begging for a fight, so why not?"  
  
Rayrene laughed harshly.  
  
"What a joke. That woman is a swords-woman?"  
  
The blade pointed to Tashigi now as Rayrene continued to laugh.  
  
"That's a real joke! Women don't swords-fight for a reason, lady. They're just not cut out for it. You know that?"  
  
Tashigi eyes darkened angrily as she gripped her Petal tightly.  
  
"Oh, do I know,"  
She growled,  
"and I suppose you don't think you'll regret looking down on me."  
  
  
  
  
Tearing off another large chunk of meat with her teeth, Violet, chewed and swallowed quickly before saying,  
"You know, Shiller tastes really good."  
  
Gnawing on a bone, Luffy nodded in agreement.  
  
"I should get some more and put it on our ship,"  
He said through a mouthful, grabbing another sizzling piece of Shiller meat off the spit over the fire.  
  
"Well, we're nearly finished,"  
Violet said as she grabbed the another piece of meat,  
"so let's decide what we're doing after this meal. Are you going back to your ship?"  
  
Luffy scratched his head as he chomped on his meat.  
  
"Well, no. I'm kind of looking for my crew, since I lost them on the way in the forest."  
  
Violet chewed as she looked at Luffy thoughtfully.  
  
"What bad luck. Who's your captain?"  
  
Luffy grinned as he grabbed the second-last piece of meat.  
  
"I am!"  
Violet looked at him, impressed again.  
  
"Wow. And you lost your crew?"  
  
"Uhm,"  
Luffy said, his teeth sunk into the meat,  
"Yeah. Well, it doesn't really matter, 'cause I'll find them again."  
  
Licking her bone, Violet said,  
"Yolandi forest is huge; you'll never find them here. I'll take you to my village -- then maybe you'll find your crew there."  
  
Luffy nodded.  
  
"That's a good idea. I'll do that. Thanks."  
  
As she grabbed the last piece of meat off the spit, she replied,  
"No problem."  
  
"HEY!!"  
Luffy cried.  
  
"What?"  
Violet asked, seconds away from eating the meat.  
  
"That's the last piece of meat!"  
  
"And...?"  
Violet prompted, then realised what the hungry look in Luffy's eyes meant.  
  
"No, this is mine!"  
Violet said hastily, and was about to take a bite when Luffy jumped over the spit towards the meat.  
  
"MEEEAAAATT!!"  
  
"It's miiiine!!"  
Violet whined as she clutched it to herself and moved sideways so that Luffy crashed into the bushes behind her.  
  
"Yaaah!!!"  
  
Luffy's hand stretched to reach Violet's meat as she dodged him.  
  
"Are you _stretching_?!"  
Violet asked in surprise. Luffy used the moment to grab the meat and put it whole, into his mouth. His jaws happily working, he nodded.  
  
"Yehsh."  
He said through the meat, and Violet looked puffily at him.  
  
"You're mean! Meat is my favourite food!"  
  
"It's my favourite, too,"  
Luffy replied, licking his fingers, then saw that she was streaming tears off her cheeks. He looked guiltily apologetically at her.  
  
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean. It was a reflex with Usopp and Sanji's food."  
  
"Who're they?"  
Violet asked grumpily as she threw dirt over the fire.  
  
"Two of my crew members... hey, don't be mad! We can always catch and eat more!"  
  
Luffy laughed heartily as Violet sniffled as she grumbled,  
"Suuuure, you'd really be saying that if _I_ ate the meat, right?"  
  
"How immature, fighting over meat like that."  
Mused a voice. Violet looked up in surprise while Luffy looked up in mild surprise.  
  
A figure clad in black jumped in all agility to a log before them.  
  
"Naa? Who are you?"  
Violet asked, cocking her head to one side.  
  
"My name,"  
Said the figure,  
"Is Dardrene."  
  
Swishing her silver buckles about and tossing back waist-length raven-black hair, she smiled sinisterly.  
  
"I'm here to take you, Monkey D. Luffy, with me to see the king of the Island of Angels. Come with me now, without that girl, and we'll take you in without me hurting you."  
  
She laughed again.  
  
"Ohohohoho!! I am, after all, the most sexy and strongest woman on this island, so you won't want to resist!"  
  
"Her name,"  
Luffy said quietly.  
  
"Yes?"  
Dardrene asked, her blood-red lips curling into a smile,  
  
"Scares you already? Is so sexy it seduces you on the spot? Makes you think you must remember it for all your life?"  
  
"Yes, Luffy,"  
Violet said with a nod,  
"Her name..."  
  
Dardrene smiled as the two exchanged glances. Then they both looked at Dardrene with a frown.  
  
"Sounds like sardine."  
  
She facefaulted.  
  
"Excuse me?!! It does NOT!"  
  
"It does,"  
Violet said seriously to Luffy,  
"Dardrene, sardine. It's the same."  
  
"And she looks like a sardine, too."  
Luffy said with a nod.  
  
"WHAT?!!"  
  
"Yeah, that face looks kinda like a fish."  
Violet agreed.  
  
A nerve bulged in Dardrene's head as she screamed,  
"SHUT UP!! My name doesn't sound like a fish! I do not look like a fish!"  
  
She glowered at them.  
  
"How dare you not listen to me seriously and ignore my generous offer to take you without pain!"  
  
Long nails coated in dark-red varnish pointed at Luffy as she snarled,  
  
"You'll regret making a fool out of me!!"  
  
  



	5. Oil and Sugar

  
The Island of Angels: Chapter Five  
  
  
  
Usopp was so busy running forward while looking over his shoulder he didn't notice a particular patch of soaked leaves.  
  
The next thing Usopp knew he was performing something similar to ice-skating as he skid across wet undergrowth, yelping all the time before bashing into a tree and landing into the brambles placed conveniently next to the trunk, his long nose squishing into the thorns.  
  
"Oww!"  
  
He backed out, his eyes tearing from the stings, and furtively checked around the area.  
  
The leaves were as purple as ever but the leaves were thinning out and a lot damper than earlier trail. But there was no sign of weird man anywhere. He sighed with relief.  
  
"Phew! Hah! Knew no one could catch up with me!"  
  
Usopp began to laugh a booming over-confident laugh he frequently used when proud but was frozen to the spot by the very definite sound of a gun cocking its trigger behind his ear.  
  
"No one, eh?"  
  
A horribly familiar voice mused. Usopp gave a weak and nervous chuckle as he felt the cold end of the gun barrel press against the back of his head.  
  
"Eh, heh, heh,"  
  
Usopp said, sweating like crazy as he slid his hand into his purse, and without warning, ducked down and kicked the shins of the man behind him. The gun shot cracked the air and the bullet embedded itself into tree bark as the man let out an grunt of pain and surprise, and Usopp twisted round quickly, pulling back the elastic on his slingshot as he cried,  
  
"Lead Pel-- no wait, this isn't a Lead Pellet!!"  
He looked, horrified at the thing in his hand, but the orange-haired man seemed to be recovering by now so he had no choice.  
"Aaaghh!! Aww, hell with it-- Rotten Egg Shot!!"  
  
_SMACK._  
  
The man got a faceful of the smelly yolk and white and let out a yell of horror. Cheering, Usopp began to run past as he called out,  
"See ya!"  
But suddenly slid on something on the ground that wasn't wet undergrowth. He landed on his rear, yelping, his head slapping against the soaked leaves. He groaned, stunned, when the white light above with its ring of tree-tops was suddenly intercepted with the man's silhouette.  
  
"Awww,"  
  
Usopp whined, and the man's gold hoops glinted as did his extraordinarily white teeth, widening into a very strange smile. Usopp couldn't tell if it was a smile or a frown.  
  
"Name's Landorene,"  
He said, still smiling,  
"An official of the Glass Wings City Royal Council. I'm to take you to the king, sniper. He wishes to see you."  
  
Usopp squinted up at him, partly from the light and partly from suspicion.  
"Why does he want to see me?"  
  
"Why don't you go and find out?"  
  
"Why should I go and find out?"  
  
"Because you want to know why he wishes to see you, do you not?"  
  
"But why would I want to know in the first place?"  
  
"Because you asked me!"  
  
"So you should tell me!!"  
  
"I'm telling you to go yourself, you stupid man!!!"  
  
"I don't want to!!"  
Usopp yelled.  
  
"You should!!"  
Landorene snapped back.  
  
"Well, I don't want to, and--"  
Hoisting himself up, Usopp kicked forwards, sending Landorene reeling backwards in a stumble as Usopp stood up quickly,  
"--I won't!!"  
  
He turned to run, but was suddenly drenched in a wave of some strange-smelling liquid. Coughing, Usopp spluttered as he coughed out some of the yellowish liquid.  
"Bleh! Platooie! What the heck--?!"  
As Usopp spun round (rather easily) to face his enemy, his eyes rounded. Landorene held up a gun, pointing it at Usopp's soaked chest.  
  
"It's oil,"  
The brightly orange-haired man said with a grin,  
"And you should know this gun shoots flaming bullets."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Where is Nami-saaaaan,"  
Sanji whined. He had been so happy when Nami had been so worried about him, excited that she had finally grown attached enough to care about him, but she was certainly taking quite a while to get water.  
  
"Maybe she ditched me,"  
He mumbled,  
"Not surprising, though..."  
  
He glared at his foot, cursing inwardly to it, when a tanned and slender leg that ended in a small pink sandal stepped before him. His heart-shaped eye followed the leg up to a frilly pink skirt, and higher still to a tight-fitting top and finally a beautiful face that was smiling smugly at him amidst bright-pink curls and sparkling ruby eyes.  
  
"Who ever abandoned you?"  
She asked seductively, her pink lips enticing Sanji.  
  
"Aaaa, divine and mysterious beauty of carnation-pink!"  
He said slowly, his heart eye popping as he struggled to settle himself onto one knee before this pink-haired goddess,  
"I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life!"  
  
Then he paused as the pink hair seemed to be blinking orange before him.  
  
"Well, I've seen someone else prettier, but you are close!"  
He said without thinking, but quickly covered up by taking up a gloved hand and attempting to kiss it.  
  
She slapped his face off sharply as she barked,  
"_What?!_ Just who could be prettier than me?!!"  
  
She grabbed the front of Sanji's shirt as hearts popped around him and his eyes widened as she screeched, her ruby-eyes fiery and dark,  
"Tell me pretty-boy!! Who the hell could be as beautiful or as cute as me?!!"  
  
He sweatdropped.  
  
"Erm, lady, please compose yourself..."  
  
"TELL ME NOW!!!"  
She screamed, Sanji's left eye almost visible from the way her breath blew it back.  
  
"Hey, take it easy Sherine."  
The pink-haired girl turned agressively back, her fingers still clutching Sanji's collar in a claw-like manner. The guy who had called her Sherine smirked arrogantly as he walked over to Sanji, tossing his green-ponytail back.  
  
"Emerine,"  
She seethed through her teeth,  
"He said there's someone _prettier_ than me."  
  
Emerine glared at Sanji, who was simply sweatdropping throughout the entire ordeal.  
  
"Listen, lady, I didn't mean to insult you or anything..."  
  
Sanji began, when he heard Nami's voice cry,  
  
"Sanji-kun, watch out!!"  
  
His first reaction was to smile brightly at the familiar voice and sing out a greeting. Then the actual meaning of her words computed, and he noticed a tremor rising from beneath him. Sanji managed to jerk himself away from the tree just in time.  
  
Rock burst out from the ground just in jagged spikes where Sanji had just been at. Sanji stared at the rock, startled, and turned his widened eyes to Emerine. The green-haired guy was gritting his teeth, a hand stretched out towards the tree.  
  
"Damn it!"  
Emerine snapped. He noticed Sanji staring at him in shock, and immediately switched to Villain Mode, narrowing his eyes and flashing the Evil Grin.  
"Heh. You should take care of your lady more, shouldn't you?"  
He sneered.  
  
"You're missing a tooth."  
Sanji noticed in surprise.  
  
"G-G-GEEHHH??!!! DAMN YOU!!"  
Emerine screeched, his face burning red, and Sherine patted his arm reassuringly. He retracted it and glared at her.  
  
Nami's voice sounded once more,  
"Becareful, this guy can control rock!!"  
  
"Nami-san?! Where are you??"  
Sanji cried out in confusion, looking around frantically for a flash of orange. The girl called Sherine was now beside Emerine, her smug smile back on again, and Emerine was glaring at the cook. Her voice had been somewhere at Emerine's direction, he was sure of it!  
  
"Nami-san?!"  
He called out again, his voice rising, when he heard her again,  
  
"Don't ask!!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Emerine's face suddenly broke into a smirk again, and he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, behind him. Sanji blinked and peered over, squinting to focus a far-off outline, and gasped.  
  
Nami was hanging off a tree branch awkwardly, helplessly clamped around the waist on with thick, chunky bonds of rock. She couldn't seem to get out of the belt of rock by the looks of it, so although she appeared to be unharmed, she looked very, very ticked off.  
  
"Nami-san!! Are you alright?"  
Sanji exclaimed, his concern getting the better of the fact that she did not exactly look very happy.  
  
"Noooo, I'm just having the time of my life here, dangling off this stupid tree,"  
Nami snapped, attempting to pull herself out of the rocky prison to demonstrate her situation.  
  
"I'll have you out of there in no time, Na--"  
The blonde began, but was rudely interrupted by jagged rock thrusting into his face, millimeters from skinning his nose. He turned angrily to face the green-head. What an arrogant smile! He thought irritatedly.  
  
"That is no way to treat a wo--"  
Sanji's words were forced to stop abruptly yet again because the ground beneath him suddenly shuddered violently. He took a quick step backwards to avoid the sharp piece of rock jutting upwards from the soil, but had no time to pause as a series of rocky spikes thrust towards the cook, following his hasty steps.  
  
"Damn it!"  
Emerine vented his frustration as the blonde's agillity was obviously getting the better of him,  
"Sherine, grab the pirate down for me, will you?"  
  
Sanji's eyes widened in surprise.  
"How'd you--"  
Spikes of rock caught Sanji off-guard and threw him off his feet, and he ended up stumbling straight into the pink-haired girl.  
  
She grabbed his hair and pulled him to her, crushing him in a surprisingly powerful grip to her curves.  
"Oh Emerine, don't be so harsh,"  
She said sweetly, her ruby eyes glittering as she pressed Sanji closer to her,  
"He seems just my type."  
  
Emerine snorted. Sanji, however, was having a wonderful view of the girl's cleavage.  
  
'I'm so happy...'  
He thought dreamily as the girl cooed something to him that was drowned out by the rushing of blood to his nose. Then, from the confines of his head, the cook heard a frustrated and disappointed yell from a certain navigator:  
"SANJI-KUN!!!"  
  
Eyes flying open, Sanji hurriedly stepped away from the girl. It proved to be quite difficult - her grip nearly broke his neck. The girl's eyes widened in shock, then hardened angrily.  
  
'Owww...'  
Sanji winced, and a cold chill ran through his spine. He didn't know why, but there was something... almost... _sinister_ about Sherine.  
  
She was too powerful and her voice dripped with too much syrup.  
  
Then he noticed something crusty against his ear. Sanji pressed his fingers to the back of his neck, and something came off onto his fingertips. The consistency felt strangely familiar...  
  
Bringing his fingers to his eyes, he realised what it was. He ran his fingertips along his collar to fing a part of it missing below his ear, having somehow mysteriously melted away into...  
  
"Sugar?!"  
He exclaimed incredulously. Sherine scowled, all the cuteness dissipating at the expression.  
  
"Yes, sugar,"  
She snapped,  
"That's my power."  
  
"Devil's fruit,"  
Emerine explained. Sherine glowered at his 'interruption'. He winced, but continued,  
"Listen, blondie, we're servants of the king. We were told to escort your pirate crew back to his palace."  
  
"Escort?"  
Sanji repeated, his expression one of disbelief. The green-haired guy flicked his pony-tail back and laughed as he glanced back at the struggling Nami.  
  
"Lack of co-operation,"  
He said with a shrug.  
"I'll have her down once you both realise you have no other choice but to follow us to the king."  
  
"After all,"  
Sherine said, her sweetness rushing back in full-force as she fluttered her long eyelashes at Sanji, leaning towards him and giving him a full view of her cleavage,  
"We _are_ both eaters of devil's fruits, and both have extremely powerful techniques... It's pointless to fight back, isn't it?"  
  
Sanji nodded stupidly, his eyes rounding at the sight of her revealing top,  
"Pointless to fight back against your beauty,"  
Sanji answered, forgetting completely about her sinister aura as he kneeled gallantly on one knee to hold her hand. Emerine looked like he was going to be sick.  
  
Nami blinked as she watched this exchange quite a distance away. For one thing, it was annoying her bits that she was starting to get cramps in her legs and arms and that she couldn't seem to get out of her prison, and for another, Sanji seemed to be totally forgetting about her everytime the pink-haired girl flicked on her charm.  
  
She also found it weird that Emerine looked like he wanted to throw up at the sight of such sugariness.  
'Oops, bad pun,'  
she thought to herself. Then she shook her head sharply. That wasn't exactly the point here!  
  
"Sanji-kun!!"  
She shouted, and he seemed to remember her as he snapped out of his trance of staring at Sherine.  
"I'm coming, Nami-san!"  
  
"You're not going to co-operate?"  
Emerine asked in alarm.  
  
"After hurting Nami-san like that? I think not,"  
Sanji replied easily, and turned to run towards Nami when something strange happened - the ground below his foot suddenly crumbled away - yelping, Sanji tripped, getting a faceful of dirt and dead twigs.  
  
Spitting out leaves, Sanji turned to see, his eyes widening, a good portion of the leaves and twigs he had just been standing now crumbling away onto the ground as fine, sparkling sugar.  
  
Then he let out an ear-splitting yell of pain as a sharp rock suddenly thrust through his left thigh, pain prickling through his entire body as he hurriedly back flipped away from the duo. Blood spattered and stained the white sugar red as he backed up against a tree trunk. He could've kicked himself for breathing so hard.  
  
Then he noticed Sherine clutching her cheek tightly. Little bits of sugar fell to the ground as she held her cheek, then without warning, jerked her face towards his, her red eyes burning with hatred and anger as she glared at the cook.  
  
"_How dare you,_"  
She growled in a not very, er, beautiful voice.  
  
"Chill Sherine, he didn't mean to kick you,"  
Emerine tried to console his partner hastily to no avail.  
  
"DIIIIIIIEEEEE----!!!!"  
  
Sanji was suddenly faced with a horrible prospect of two very pained and shaky legs, being backed against a tree and a very beautiful lady rushing forwards in a blur of pink with a very high-pitched war-cry.  
  
  
  
  


**End Chapter Five**

  
  
  
  



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